Chocolate Cherry Shortbread Cookies are ready to bake in about twenty minutes. About 15 minutes in the oven and they are done. Remove to a cooling rack and go to bed. Seriously, the cookies will taste much better the next day if you let them set overnight after baking. It’s worth the wait, I promise!!! The first time I baked these cookies, the guys inhaled them and said they were good. I wasn’t so sure. But when I tasted them for breakfast the next morning, I was sure. It’s a classic good news, bad news situation. Good news – I was impressed at how quickly I could turn out several dozen cookies. Bad news – you’ll need to wait a few hours for the amazing taste to come to full bloom. I’m usually all about quick and easy, so this Make and Wait is a new discipline for me! For ... [Read More]
pecans
Grilled Chicken and Strawberry Salad with red wine vinegar dressing
Grilled Chicken and Strawberry Salad is a springtime hit with berries fresh from the garden and fresh salad greens. Of course, you can make it any time of year with berries and greens from the grocery. Use your favorite salad greens. Leaf lettuce or Bibb lettuce from the garden, spring green mix, iceberg pieces, spinach, romaine. Or a mixture of any mild flavored green. Add a handful of chopped kale to each plate, if you like. Generally, a serving of salad is about one cup (pressed down) of fresh greens. Or, the number of servings in a 16 ounce bag of greens is often listed as six. This recipe will make 6 side salads or three generous dinner salads. The dinner salads are the choice at our house. The dressing is the star of the show. And I don’t eat dressing on my salads!!! I’ll have ... [Read More]
Bacon Pecan Green Beans
Bacon Pecan Green Beans are sensational! Bacon! Brown Sugar! Pecans! Fresh Green Beans! Flavored with caramelized onions! Oh my great goodness! Forget the creamy bean casserole with the crushed onion topping that has graced the table since grandma started cooking. It was – and still is – good -but this . . . . This is a game changing green bean dish! A tableful of talkative adults turns into a very silent and focused “can’t eat this stuff fast enough” bunch. Forget the turkey or steak and whatever else is on the table. Don’t bother to breath until the last little bit of sugared bacon flavored pecan is gone. It’s that good! Maybe not so good for socializing – but a treat for the taste buds! Use whole fresh beans, cleaned and tips broken off, if you can find them out ... [Read More]
Curried Chicken and Fruit Salad
One of our long time favorites and a make ahead main dish -- Curried Chicken and Fruit Salad. The weather has been summery – astounding for March! And we’ve taken advantage of it, with lots of time in the garden. Meals when we are concentrating on a project are usually do ahead. Last night I reached back in the archives from the very first days of A Pinch of Joy and came up with this to make ahead and enjoy after a very busy day. Curried Chicken and Fruit Salad is a festive, flavorful salad that is so versatile. It is not spicy, but is uniquely and wonderfully flavored. It is the first thing I think of when I need something for a luncheon because it can be served so many different ways. Great by itself, it also goes well with croissants or any delicately flavored quick bread. ... [Read More]
Mile High Brie
When Apple Valley Sue is invited to events, the hostess requests she bring her spectacular Mile High Brie. You know those requests mean Yummy captalized! Apple Valley Sue was sweet enough to send a copy to me -- another great recipe that has become a signature dish! She says: “here is a great appetizer for parties. It is just 6 ingredients that you throw together on top of a round of brie with a couple of sauces drizzled on top. They are especially a hit at Christmas parties -- everyone loves it. I saw Mile High Brie in a showcase last year at one of the grocery stores where they were selling for about $15. You can make them for a lot less! Here’s the ingredients: One round of Brie, top rind removed Walnuts Red Maraschino cherries (or a mix of red and green for ... [Read More]
White Chocolate Caramel Swirl Fudge
White Chocolate Caramel Swirl Fudge -- I needed something to round out a plate of Fabulous Fudge for a party and thought this would be a good contrast to the semi sweet chocolate. But you know me ---quick and easy – so that’s the direction I naturally took when I made this recipe. With a change and a tweak and in the microwave. And, of course, I have to share . . . I've found this works best with Gharadelli chips, although Hershey's and Nestle's work well. For some reason the store brands don't seem to melt evenly -- but you might have different results. Use butter instead of margarine - as any moisture in the margarine will affect how the candy sets up. It will take at least two 90 second intervals at 50% power for the chips to lose their shape and begin to melt. Be sure to stir ... [Read More]
